Bioinformatics Scientist at University of Kentucky – Lexington, Kentucky

PhD

3 yrs

None

Sitting for long periods of time

Monday – Friday; 8:00 am-5:00 pm; and occasional nights & weekends as needed.

The Bioinformatics Scientist — Computational Biology & Sequencing Sciences is a full-time staff position housed within the Cellular Genomics and Imaging (CGI) Core under the oversight of the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR). The position provides expert bioinformatics support for UK’s research community engaged in analyzing data generated by next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms such as, but not limited to, 10x Genomics Chromium X and the planned Xenium spatial analysis system.

The scientist in this position will develop and maintain reproducible bioinformatics pipelines and consult with investigators throughout the research lifecycle thereby contributing to the strategic growth of cutting edge research at UK. The position collaborates with UK Research Computing as a scientific user and partner — leveraging its infrastructure for research data processing and storage.

Demonstrated proficiency in R/Bioconductor and Python for biological data analysis; fluency with Linux/bash scripting; experience with version control (Git/GitHub). Hands-on experience building and deploying reproducible bioinformatics pipelines using Snakemake, Nextflow, or an equivalent workflow management framework in Linux-based HPC environments. Experience with at least three major NGS data types: bulk and single cell RNA-seq, WGS/WES, bulk and single cell ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, amplicon (16S/ITS), or single-cell/spatial transcriptomics. Demonstrated ability to communicate complex computational methods clearly to biologists, clinicians, and non-computational investigators; experience writing bioinformatics methods sections for manuscripts or grant applications. Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, maintain accurate records, and meet deliverable timelines across a diverse investigator user base.

Experience with spatial transcriptomics platforms (10x Genomics Chromium, Visium, Xenium; Parse Biosciences; Slide-seq; or equivalent) — directly relevant to the CGI Core instrument portfolio. Prior experience designing and administering researcher needs assessments, service satisfaction surveys, or outreach programs in a core facility or shared resource context. Demonstrated experience developing and implementing cost-recovery pricing structures for bioinformatics services. Familiarity with NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy, dbGaP submission, HIPAA-compliant handling of human genomics data, and relevant IRB considerations. Track record of co-authored peer-reviewed publications arising from collaborative computational biology projects. Experience with long-read sequencing data analysis (Oxford Nanopore, PacBio) or multi-omics integration methods. Experience with cloud computing platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure) for scalable genomic analysis. Contributions to open-source bioinformatics tools, community pipelines, or training curricula (e.g., Bioconductor, Galaxy, Carpentries).

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.